Michigan

Instead of doing what I usually do, bitch about Michigan and say how I can't wait to leave here for New York City (which is totally true), I have decided to reflect on some things I'm actually going to miss about Michigan. My inspiration for this is Diet Vernors, which I don't think you can get anywhere else but Michigan. I bought a six pack the other day, and am enjoying one as I write this. Below is a list of things that I expect to miss about my home state (in no particular order).

1. My friends that are still in Michigan. Though there are very few left, I'm obviously going to miss them. I hope they come visit!

2. Some family members. I'm not going to lie. I won't miss all of them. In fact, some of them contributed to my decision to leave. However, there are some that I am really going to miss. They probably know who they are.

3. My (now former) students and co-workers at both teaching jobs. Moving to New York was almost a no-brainer, but my students gave me a good reason to stay here.

4. Nachos from Levi's. Almond Joy Ice Cream from Mooney's. Bagels from Big Apple Bagels. Michigan only foods like Vernors and Kogel hot dogs.

5. My adorable little dog, Emmett. I'm sad that I'm not taking him with me, but it wouldn't be fair to him to leave him home alone for hours and hours every day. My friend has him and takes excellent care of him.

6. Things being cheaper.

Really, that's it, and none of the above people/things would make me dream of changing my mind about leaving. My life is going to start in about 17 days. I think I've waited long enough.

Myspace Blog Archive #8

June 25, 2008 - The Verdict

 First, thank you all for your advice and support. I've taken everything you've said into consideration while deciding which direction to go in.

I did decide to stick it out in Michigan for at least one more year. The fact that I was offered a part time teaching position that would enable me to stay here and finish my Master's at the exact time I was considering moving away, is amazing to me. I tend to think that everything happens for a reason, and if I wasn't supposed to stay here and finish my degree, I wouldn't have been offered this job. Plus, I think it would just be downright foolish to waste all the time and money I've already put into the graduate program here at SVSU. I learned that I would probably only be able to transfer one or two classes from one University to the next, and since I've already taken 11 classes...you do the math. I'm also pretty excited about the classes I'll be teaching this year. I have 100% freedom in designing this Drama class and I think that's pretty cool. I've taught Speech Communications before (during student teaching) and really enjoyed it, so I'm excited about teaching it again. I'm disappointed that my school schedule won't allow me to teach that Creative Writing class this semester (again, I would have total freedom with that one); but I'm hoping to be able to teach it during the winter semester.

I am a bit sad that I'll be in Saginaw for at least one more year - I almost escaped this shithole - but Sonia made a good point when she said that it is my shithole. This is where most of the people I love are, so it can't be too bad. Instead of thinking about all of the negatives of choosing this job (the lack of insurance is a huge one, you're right, Megan); I'm trying to focus on the positives. Some of them are: earning my Master's; being able to be here for my brother's graduation; not being lonely without my friends and family; and not having to pack all my shit up and move it 800+ miles away.

Well, I just wanted to keep everyone posted about what I've decided. Thanks again, everyone!

UPDATE: I worked at that school for three years and loved nearly every minute of it. I am escaping this shithole in 20 days, but I am not moving to North Carolina, which I just thought was "OK", I am moving to the greatest city in the world.

Myspace Blog Archive #7

June 23, 2008 - OH MY GOD.

I have a huge decision to make about teaching jobs this year. Two schools in North Carolina have offered me jobs, and I just got a job offer this morning here in Michigan, also. There are pros and cons to every one of these jobs and I don't know what to do. I'm trying not to whine here, because for the last two years I have suffered disappointment after disappointment while trying to find a teaching job. My aunt is not available to talk to right now, and I don't know anyone else to talk to right now that isn't going to try and sway me one way or the other based on their own selfish reasons. So I'm blogging it out and trying to come up with a decision on my own. Each time I think I have my mind made up, one of the schools will call me and say something else that makes me think...ok, I need to think about this some more. But time is running out! One of the schools in North Carolina doesn't even know I have other offers and thinks I am going to be joining them in August. The other school in North Carolina knows I have another job offer and is pressuring me for a decision, offering me a larger classroom (an english teacher's dream), and talking a little bit of smack about the other school that wants me. The school in Saginaw, Swan Valley Adult and Alternative Education knows all about my situation, and called me this morning to say they know I have a big decision, and that they have arranged for me to teach 3 classes this semester (two of the three weren't even on their roster, they are geared toward what I can teach and offered as electives for the students) hoping that it is enough to get me to take the job because they really enjoyed my interview. I have decided to make a pros and cons list of each job to try and help my decision along.

• 1 East Lee Middle School, Sanford North Carolina
  PROS:
  - Principals and staff I've meet so far are nice
  - Close to Cary/Raleigh/Durham (awesome cities)
  - 7th grade Language Arts is what I really want to be teaching, and would be teaching at this school
  CONS:
  - Large ESL population and I don't have much training in that. I'm not sure if that's the best situation to get into my first year as a teacher
  - Other School that wants me said East Lee was in a bad area. I didn't notice it when I took a tour, but I wasn't in the area. The folks at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store were very nice, though.
  
  2 Overhills Middle School, Spring Lake North Carolina
  PROS:
  - They REALLY want me there, and my team leader is awesome from what I can tell.
  - They are knocking down a wall just to make me a larger classroom because they know I am trying to decide between them and two other schools
  - I would be teaching 7th grade Language Arts here, too
  - The Middle School has its own auditorium with a stage and everything. If I directed a play there, we wouldn't have to share with another school and deal with any bitches.
  CONS:
  - I didn't like that they talked shit about another school
  - The area is near Fayetteville which reminds me too much of Saginaw. I've been looking on apartmentratings.com and I see a lot of crime and things reported for the apartments I've been looking up. I don't need to leave my hometown to get a shitty area with crime and run-down housing. I have that all right here.
  
  North Carolina in general, no matter which of the above schools I choose
  PROS:
  - Saginaw is a shithole
  - Great weather in North Carolina
  - My Grandma told one of my cousins that she didn't think I would move away and I hate when people say they don't think I can do something
  - More money, full benefits, paid vacation (even though that's seriously not why I went into teaching)
  - No more waiting tables
  CONS:
  - I would miss my friends and family terribly
  - It's going to cost a lot of money to move
  - North Carolina doesn't pay their teachers as well as Michigan does and I am worried about not having any extra money after bills when I get down there and not being able to afford to fly home
  - I am almost done with my Master's here and if I transfer to a school down there I would have to start almost from the beginning and that is a lot of money and time being lost.
  
  3 Alternative School in Saginaw Michigan
  PROS:
  - I love that district and I would have my foot in the door for when the 8th grade Language Arts teacher at the middle school retires within the next couple of years
  - I could stay here and finish my Master's degree and then next year, make more money wherever I decide to go
  - I get to teach Creative Writing, Drama, and Communication - AWESOME!!!!!
  - I wouldn't have the discipline issues with this group of students that I may have with others
  - I may be able to use the experience here, combined with my Master's to teach college classes at a two year college such as Delta
  - My Grandma would be happy - not sure if this is a "pro" or not
  CONS:
  - No insurance, no salary, no paid vacation. 23 bucks an hour isn't too shabby, though.
  - I will still have to work next summer, possibly waiting tables. I can't stand the thought of that.
  - I would probably stay in this shithole neighborhood that I cannot stand.
  - People such as my mother will still be able to bother me.
  - There are a couple of whack jobs in that district
  My aunt just called and now my train of thought is messed up, so I'm going to end this blog.
  I'll keep everyone posted.

Myspace Blog Archive #6

February 15, 2008 - Love N' Kisses

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and it reminded me of being a little girl and filling out Valentine cards for everyone in my class with the help of my Grandma. I remember one year, I wrote a mean poem to all the boys, proving I was just as much as a bitch then as I am now ;)  This year for Valentine's Day, my aunt bought me a little high heel shoe made out of chocolate. I love chocolate and I enjoy shoes, so it was a perfect gift for me. Even so, she didn't need to buy me a chocolate shoe to tell me she loves me. I already knew.
I often wonder if this Valentine's Day crap is really necessary. There are plenty of people that get very sad and depressed if they don't have a "Valentine". I'm not one of those people because I'm a very picky fat girl with a high self- worth and I  feel that no Saginaw man is good enough for me. I'm pretty sure that the feeling is mutual so we're good.  However, I can't ignore the unfortunate people that were taught that life isn't worth living if you don't have a significant other and that you're less of a person if you're not part of a couple. Must lovers rub it in the faces of these pathetic people by celebrating Valentine's Day? When you're in love, isn't everyday Valentine's Day, but without the overpriced flowers, cards and candy and the far too busy restaurants? Just something to think about, I guess.
And speaking of restaurants, I'm sure glad I didn't have to work last night. If you're going to subscribe to all of this Valentine's day bullshit, don't take your girlfriend or wife to Denny's, you cheap fuck.

And now for my all time favorite Valentine's Day quote:
"And as for Valentine's Day, I prefer to celebrate I'm Not A Fucking Idiot Day. It happens a week after Valentines Day when all of the candy is on sale and all of the flowers have gone back to regular price." - T-shirt hell newsletter, February 2004.

UPDATE: I still think the only holiday more stupid than Valentine's Day is Sweetest Day.

Myspace Blog Archive #5

June 22, 2007 - Job Interview Woes


Well, I finally had my first real teaching job interview yesterday. I don't count the one I had at ___________________ this past March because it was just myself and the principal having a conversation. What she forgot to mention during that conversation is that the students in the class that I'd be teaching do whatever they want because she and the rest of the administration are too afraid to lose students as a result of them actually using discipline on them. Had I taken that job, yes I'd be very miserable, hate kids, and want to shoot myself...but at least I'd be able to pay my bills with much less problem than I do now.
And of course let's not forget the fact that yesterday's interview would have been my second "real" interview had mapquest not given me the wrong directions to the school that I was supposed to interview at in Edwardsburg, Michigan last month (that's a hick-ass town about 3 1/2 hours south of here), but ended up 25 minutes late to after spending 100 dollars on gas, only to be greeted by custodians saying that the interview committee had left about five minutes before I got to the school. Let's also not forget that even after I left two messages to the principal, he didn't even have the courtesy to call me back and say, "I'm sorry that you drove several hours to get here and spent money that you don't really have, but it's not our problem that you relied on mapquest and they screwed you. No, you may not have another interview." No. I couldn't even get a courtesy call.
But, I digress. So yesterday, I actually made it to the interview. I had an interview committee give me a real teaching interview. And according to the principal of the school, I did quite well at my first interview. However...not well enough to have been offered the position. The principal told me that I did a great job and did everything I was supposed to do, and there is nothing I should have done differently. If there had been a second position available, he'd have given it to me. The hard part is actually getting the interview. If there is an opening next year, he would interview me for that. That was nice of him. He didn't have to say those things. I appreciate his positive comments. So, at least I know that I did what I was supposed to do at my very first interview. That's nice. Unfortunately, the person that got the job must have had connections to the school, or more experience, or a more useful minor such as social studies or math...whatever the case may be. At least I have experience interviewing now. And I did a good job at my first interview.
No, I have nothing to be embarrassed about. Except for working at Denny's.

UPDATE: I will always hate job interviews.

Myspace Blog Archive #4

February 8, 2007 - I Was Fine Today Until I Read My Consumer's Bill...

 I've been freezing my ass off for the past month so that my bill would go down and it's 100 bucks more than it was last month. I give up.

UPDATE: I continued to freeze my ass off and pay astronomical bills in that house until November of 2009, when I moved into a nicer house with better insulation. The rent was higher, but the neighborhood was better, and the utilities were lower. As of May, 2011, I pay no rent or utilities because I have the best best friend in the world, and she knows moving to New York is very expensive.

Myspace Blog Archive #3

October 4, 2006 - Anyone that Knows Me, Knows I'm a Procrastinator

Because I put a lot of stress on myself spending my years as an undergrad and certification student as a procrastinator, I vowed not to procrastinate once I started working on my Master's. I guess for me, vowing not to procrastinate is like vowing not to eat: impossible. Last Tuesday, I found myself up at 6am to work on several assignments that were due later that evening. I worked for 9 hours on a 5-6 page paper for my TEMS 505 class and a parent brochure & 10 journal entries for my TE 510 class. As I typed and typed, I began to make exuses. "A Master's is a Masters", I told myself. "Who cares if I get As in these classes?"

Wellllll.........................................

I got all of the assignments back and scored 100% on every one of them.

I guess procrastination just works for me.

UPDATE: I am currently procrastinating on packing and other things necessary before my move to New York on August 9th.

Myspace Blog Archive #2

July 29, 2006 - So I'm Glad I Scrambled to Finish that Teaching Degree...

Basically, I haven't found a teaching job yet, and it's getting dangerously close to fall. Three years ago, I was merely a waitress who was in college. Two years ago, I was a waitress with a B.A., going back to earn her Teaching Certificate. Now I'M A FUCKING WAITRESS WITH A TEACHING DEGREE (going back in the fall to start her Master's). My new waitressing job is much better than my old one, don't get me wrong. However, I have a feeling that by the end of the summer if I have to look at another piece of chicken again, I'm going to kill someone. And though I do love teaching, I do NOT love substitute teaching, which I will have to start doing again this Fall. Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope that my next blog will say: "I got a teaching job" :)

UPDATE: My next blog did not say "I got a teaching job." The part-time teaching job didn't happen until 2008, and the full-time teaching job didn't happen until 2009. The full-time job was not salaried, nor did it have sweet benefits, so I worked both the full and part-time job until June of 2011, when I quit them both to move to New York City, where I will probably be waitressing for awhile until I find a teaching job there.

MySpace Blog Archive #1

I finally bit the bullet and canceled my MySpace about a month ago. I saved my pictures and my blogs. I will now share my old MySpace blogs with the three of you that follow my current blog. Two of the three of you may have already read these. Oh well :)

April 28, 2006 - What's Up With Me Now

I cut my credit cards up! That's right, all but one. And the one I didn't cut up doesn't have a very high balance so it cannot get me into trouble. I paid off my highest balance...and I paid off my furniture..... and I'm gonna have to start living like a miserly mother fucker. Or working more. But I'm almost debt free! Now I just have to pay off that god damn Blazer. Today is a happy day! I also got an unexpected check yesterday from SVMS for coaching dramatic reading. I didn't expect to get paid for that! So, yeah. I also decided to go right into my Master's program at SVSU this fall and not wait. I probably won't get a teaching job right away so why not get right back on the horse and go to school AGAIN? Plus, I don't really want to start paying my student loans back yet so why not just rack up some more??! OK, I'm about to go substitute teach for a kindergarten class. I'm kinda scared. Lots of little kids in one room...I love kids. But I've never subbed in a kindergarten class before. I hope none of them need help wiping their asses or anything. I'm either going to come home today wanting to make babies, or never wanting a kid. ever. 

UPDATE: My credit cards didn't stay paid off for long. I did not start living like a "miserly motherfucker". I did go into my Master's program that fall. I did not get a teaching job right away. I am still undecided about children, but am leaning toward "no".

Why More People Should Blog...

I am an avid follower of Facebook, and previously an avid follower of MySpace. It really makes me cringe when someone posts a really personal status update. To me, social networking status updates should be normally short little quips and anecdotes about what is going on in one's life. They should not be crazy and diary-like in format. I understand that people need to vent. I definitely condone writing as a means of venting or dealing with problems. It is certainly better than resorting to drugs, alcohol, or homocide. I do not, however, think that this venting should be done on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. I'm really embarrassed for people that tell all of their "friends" that they hate their mother-in-law because she did this, that, or the other; or that they are on their period and really want some chocolate; or that they have such a crush on whatever guy and really hope it works out between them even though the guy has never called, written, or looked at this person.

Basically, if you would not walk up to that person that you think you went to high school with, but aren't sure, but accepted their friend request because you had 15 mutual friends; and tell him that your brother got arrested last night for beating the hell out of your boyfriend because your boyfriend kissed another girl, why would you post it on facebook for everyone to see, and of course, talk about (because people do talk about your irrational TMI posts).

Get a blog. You can say as much as you want, and you can be anonymous.